Collapsible crate.



H. U. HUNTER, DEGD.

A. HUNTER, ADMINISTRATBIX.

GOLLAPSIBLE CRATE. v APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29, 1902..

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

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H. c. HUNTER, DEOD. A HUNTER, ADMINISTRATBIX.

GOLLAPSIBLE CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.29,1902. 902,40 Patented 001;. 37, 1908. 2 SHEETSBHEBT 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @FFIGE.

HENRY G. HUNTER, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY; AGNES HUNTER ADMINISTRATRIX OF SAID HENRY O. HUNTER, DECEASED.

.COLLAPSIBLE CRATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

Application filed September 29, 1902. Serial No. 125,255.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY O. HUNTER, citizen of the United States, residing at Jersey City, Hudson county, New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Crates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in collapsible or knock down crates or boxes for shipping purposes, and it is designed, primarily, to provide a crate which may be knocked down and packed within small comass for return shipment and will yet afford all the strength, durability and protection to its contents as is required of such articles.

One object of my invention is to provide a collapsible crate which, when it has received its contents and the final closure is made, will be practically a solid body, the combination and arrangment of parts being such that in locking up the final closure or cover the contents of the crate is pressed upon and all the loose joints of the crate are drawn solidly together to form with said contents a solid body.

My invention consists in the features, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1. is a side elevation of the crate set up in condition for use, parts being broken away to illustrate details of construction. Fig. 2 is a side view of the crate in its knocked down condition ready for return shipment. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a simple form of cleat used at the upper part of the crate for holding the sides together. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing how this cleat is used. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the same cleat provided with protecting corner clips. Fig. 6 is a side view of the crate partly set up, the top and one side being left off to permit free acking or unpacking, and three of the colapsible sides being held in place by the cleats.

In these drawings, 1 indicates the lower part of the crate, in the form of a shallow box or tray, consisting of comparatively thick strips 1 suitably and permanently secured together. This is a complete box which is a part of the crate when erected and contains all the loose parts within itself when collapsed, making for a time the most substantial kind of package without lost air space and of a solid character like one piece of material.

At or near the corners of the tray and at intermediate points as desired, angular sheet metal plates 3 are secured extending up the sides of the tray and under the bottom, any suitable means as nails, screws or bolts being used for securing these metal plates. They not only reinforce the tray and form means for taking the wear but they serve other purposes as will be described. Near their upper ends the angle plates are provided each with a slot 4, and adjacent to these slots the sides of the tray are provided with openings 5 communicating with the slots and of greater depth than the same, see Fig. 1. The side walls 2 of the crate consist each of a thin sheet or plate 7 of suitable material, such for instance as veneer wood in a plurality of layers, if desired, and strengthened by strips or battens 8 extending vertically at the ends of each side and at the middle or any desired number of intermediate points. The layers of veneer may be glued together with the grain crossed. Each of the battens 8 has secured to its lower end a metal bar 9 which projects downwardly therefrom and has its lower end oiiset at 10 so that when the side wall is set upon the upper edge of the tray the said offset end of the bar will lie extended through the slot 4 of the angle or wearing plate 3 and its extreme end will lie in the opening 5 of the tray and will bear snugly against the inner side of the angle plate 3, while the strip above the said slot will lie close against the side of the tray leaving no protuberance on the outside to be knocked off, the outer surface at this point being substantially flush and clean.

The side wall may be removed by swinging it down from the vertical position, shown in Fig. 1, to an approximately horizontal position, so that the end 10 may be withdrawn from the slot 4, and in placing the side wall in position it is simply necessary to insert the end 10 in the slot and then turn the side wall up into its vertical position.

The structure just described provides a hinge connection which is located within the side wall of the tray and there is no increase of thickness required at this part and the hinged joint is fully protected from damage.

In order to upright position, I employ substantial cleats hold the thin Walls 2 in their.

11 and 12 located at the edge of the top and at intermediate points. These cleats consist of comparatively thick strips of wood of a length equal to the distance between the inner sides of the opposite walls of the crate.

Fig. 3 represents one of the strips which go to make up the cleats and this is provided at each end with a recess 13 extending therethrough in which a square nut 13 is embedded with a tight fit sufficient to securely hold the nut in place under all conditions. In embeddin these nuts in the cleat strip two small holes are bored through the strip adjacent to each other and then the nut is driven into the Wood cutting out the fin between these two holes and also cutting out the corners of the holes, the said nut firmly embedding itself in the wood. The nut is adapted to receive a common, inexpensive locking bolt 14 which is passed through a hole 1 5 formed in the cleat strip and into the nut. As shown in Fig. 3 a nut is also embedded about centrally of the length of the cleat strip and is adapted to receive a bolt inserted from the side edge of the cleat strip.

As shown in Fig. 4, this cleat is fitted wholly within the side walls of the crate at the top and it and the walls contacting therewith are locked together by the locking bolts one of which is used at each end of the cleat and one at the side edge of the same. The bolts pass through openings in the battens 8 which may be suitably shod with metal clips 16.

The cleat at the intermediate point of the side walls is indicated at 12 and there may be any desired number of these. They are like the cleats just described excepting that they are not provided with the nut embedded intermediate of the length of the cleat. These cleats, drawn up solid by the through bolts 14, furnish a substantial footing against which to wedge an adjustable or sliding cover 17 down upon the contents of the crate, no matter what exact bulk this may be, such wedging action serving also the important purpose of drawing up the detachable fixtures at the bottom of the crate, checking them against back lash or looseness as will be hereinafter further referred to. This sliding cover 17 consists of thin material, such as is used for the side walls 2, and I provide the same with strengthening battens 18, similar in size and thickness to those on the side walls, these being located on its upper side so that when the cover is placed in the crate, as

' shown in Fig. 1, these battens 18 will he beneath the end cleats 1.1 and the intermediate cleat 12. Wedges 19 are now inserted between the cleat strips and the battens 18, if the height of the contents of the crate causes the battens 18 to lie close to the cleats, or, if the cover occupies a lower position, blocks 20 may be interposed between the cleat strips and the battens 18 and the wedges are inserted between the said cleat strips and the blocks 20. By this means the cover is securely held in place upon the contents and it may be set at different heights according to the extent to which the crate is filled, and in any event the sides of the crate are drawn u by the pressure on the contents and all the parts are locked solidly, holding the contents firmly from abrasion of itself and taking all looseness out of the detachable fixtures, making them as solid as bolts would be, and this effect is produced no matter what the height of the contents may be, an important feature of this construction and arrangement being that the placin of the cover is not predetermined and thedocking effect of all the parts and the contents will be the same for differ ent bulks of contents. It will be noticed further that making the structure with its contents solid results from looking up the last loose member of the crate, that is to say the wedging down of the cover solidifies the whole structure.

The cover may be placed in position first and then the cleat-s locked in place, or, if one side of the crate is left off the cover may be slipped in through this open side and underthe cleats which are sustaining the other sides of the crate and after this cover is placed in position the other side may be closed and the whole structure locked by the locking bolts and wedges as before described.

The packing and unpacking may be done from the top with the sliding cover 17 removed and with the sides in place and it may be done from the top and one side when three sides of the crate are held in place] This latter condition is illustrated in Fig. 6 where three side walls are held in place by the end cleats and their locking bolts.

The crate when knocked down as shown in Fig. 2 has all its loose parts, including side walls, cover, wedges, and blocks packed solidly within the box as illustrated in dotted lines. The cleat strips are then placed within the tray in precisely the same relative position they occupied at the top of the crate, when set up, and they are locked in place in precisely the same manner by the bolts 14, for which purpose the tray is provided with openings 21, through which the bolts extend into the cleats.

The parts are proportioned to completely fill the tray and when the cleats are locked in place a substantially solid structure results which can be handled as one piece.

For the purpose of protecting the corners of the crate clips 22 may be added which incidentally provide a ready means for holding three sides of the crate in position loosely during filling from the fourth side. These clips are shown in Fig. 5. They may be provided with large holes 22 through which the head of the bolt will pass to a secure footing on the side wall. The intermediate cleats may be provided with metal clips reaching down over the side walls as indicated at 23, Fig. 2.

The crate as constructed is intended to take three positions in practice, 1st, set up complete, 2nd collapsed solid in its box or tray, and 3rd, three sides set up loosely for convenience in packing and unpacking. The crate it will be noticed is free from projections, or battens on its inner side and there is no waste space when the contents is placed therein.

The sliding cover is of special utility in that it may be set tightly upon the contents of the crate at any point and thus adapt the crate to contents of varying bulk. The use of packing and stu'l'ling material may thus be avoided and it is not necessary to make the crate accurately to suit the contents or to have different sizes of crates for diilerent bulks of contents.

I claim as my invention:

1. A collapsible crate having a plurality of detachable members including a bottom portion and sides detachably engaging the said bottom portion and means for connecting the sides together and for pressing down upon the contents of the crate at any height whereby the sides are drawn up and locked firmly in connection with the bottom portion, substantially as described.

2. In combination, in a collapsible crate, a bottom portion, sides detachably connected therewith and adapted to be drawn up and locked firmly to the said bottom portion, cleats within the crate and connecting the upper portions of the sides, a sliding cover below the said cleats and within the box and means fitting between the cleats and sliding cover adapted to force the cover down upon the contents and draw the sides upwardly to lock with the bottom, substantially as described.

3. In combination, in a collapsible crate, a bottom portion, sides detachably connected therewith and means fitting within the sides, said means forcing the contents of the box downwardly and simultaneously drawing the sides upwardly to lock firmly with the bottom, the said means also serving to hold the sides together, substantially as described.

l. A collapsible crate having a tray bottom with sides extending on all sides thereof, detachable side walls, cleat means fitting within the side walls with through bolts for locking the samethereto, said tray bottom receiving within it the side walls when the crate is collapsed and having locked thereto within its sides the cleat means in precisely the same relation as the said cleat means occupied to the side walls when set up, said cleat means when the crate is collapsed over-- lying the contained side walls substantially as described.

5. In combination in a crate, a tray having sides and forming the bottom of the crate, detachable side walls adapted to lie wholly within the sides of the tray, means for holding the side walls at their upper ends, said means being adapted to be secured to the tray within its sides when the crate is knocked down to extend across the contained members and hold the members packed in the tray, substantially as described.

6. In combination, a tray having a recess 5 and a metal piece extending over the same with a slot therein said metal piece being exposed on the outer side of the tray and serving as a wear piece, a side wall having an extension with an ofiset portion adapted to said. slot and recess, said offset portion providing a shoulder and an end eXtendin parallel with and away from the main part of the extension substantially as described.

7. In combination with a tray, a metal piece secured thereto, a side wall having a detachable connection with said metal piece, a cleat for holding the upper end of the side wall in position and arranged on theinner side thereof and means whereby the said cleat may be secured within the tray and to the metal piece of the tray, substantially as described.

8. In combination with a tray, side walls detachably connected thereto, a cleat member, horizontally extending locking bolts for holding the said cleat member and side walls together, the said tray being adapted to have the cleat member locked thereto by the horizontally extending locking bolts, substantially as described.

9. In combination, a tray, side walls adapted to fit detachably on the upper edges of the tray, a cleat member adapted to fit within the side walls and having means for locking them in place, the said cleat member being also adapted to lit within the sides of the tray and to 'be secured thereto by the said locking means, substantially as described.

10. In combination with a tray, side Walls detachably connected therewith, means for locking the side walls together consisting of a cleat member adapted to fit within the side walls and having a clip fitting against the outer side of the said walls, the said cleat with its clips being adapted to occupy the same position in relation to the tray as it does in relation. to the side walls that is with the clip fitting against the outer side of the tray and means for locking the cleat member to either the side wall or the tray, substantially as described.

11. In combination with a tray, side walls detachably connected therewith, means for locking the side walls together consisting of a cleat member adapted to fit within the side walls and having a clip fitting against the outer side of the said walls, the said cleat with its clips being adapted to occupy the same position in relation to the tray as it does in relation to the side walls that is with the clip fitting against the outer side of the tray and means for locking the cleat member to either the side wall or the tray, said means consisting of the locking bolts passing through the clips into the cleat member and through the side Wall or tray, substantially as described.

12. In combination with a tray, side walls detachably connected therewith, means for lockin the side walls together consisting of a cleat member adapted to fit within the side walls and having a cli fitting against the outer side 01 the said walls, the said cleat with its clips bein adapted to occupy the same position in relation to the tray as it does in relation to the side walls that is with the clip fitting against the outer side of the tray and means for locking the cleat member to either the side wall or the tray, the said clips having right angular depending portions adapted to fit the corners of the crate, substantially as described.

13. In a crate, a cleat member consisting of a strip fitting within the sides of the crate and having a clip secured thereto with a chanheight for the crate and Wedge means for holding the sliding cover in place, fitted between said cleat and the cover substantially as described.

15. In combination with a crate having sides, a cleat fixed to the said sides and in the "form of a bar, leaving the upper interior portion of the crate open within the said cleat and a cover within the sides of the crate and below the cleat, wedging means fitting between the cleat and the cover and accessible at the interior side of the cleat and means whereby the sides and the cleat are detachably connected to be assembled or knocked down at will, substantially as described.

In'testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

his HENRY C. X HUNTER.

mark

Witnesses:

HENRY L. REYNOLDS, ERNEST E. MATHIsON. 

